A zoological introduction to the letters of the English alphabet.Rhyming text, interesting animal facts, and lesser-known global wildlife come together in this letter recognition primer. Using the traditional, familiar "A is for…, B is for…" pattern, the text introduces readers to the axolotl, binturong, colugo, dumbo octopus, and more, ending with "Z is for the Zebra Duiker." Each entry includes two short, intriguing tidbits about the animal's behavior, physical characteristics, or country of origin. Readers will learn that the fossa lives in Madagascar, the gerenuk eats standing up, and the pangolin is covered in keratin scales. To provide children with reference points, Macorol mentions some of the animals' better-known relatives-the okapi is kin to the giraffe, the hyrax is "cousin to elephants and manatees," etc. The creatures are shown in their various natural habitats, and a map of the world at the beginning of the book reveals the continent on which each critter is found. Large, thick, uppercase alphabet letters in different colors allow for tracing and easy visual processing of letter shapes. Much of the vocabulary will be unfamiliar to children; this, coupled with challenging words like monotreme and retractable, makes the book best suited for independent readers looking to stretch their skills. Although the rhymes sometime struggle for scansion, Macorol's roundup of unusual fauna is engaging. The bold, multitextured digital illustrations often depict the animals gazing quietly at the reader, inviting us into their fascinating worlds.An informative abecedarian tour of the animal world but not one well suited for early emergent readers. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

PreS-Gr 2 A vividly illustrated alphabet book about some of the more unusual animals on the planet. A world map opens the book, showing the ranges of each animal globally. Each page focuses on a single animal with a name beginning with the featured letter. The bold graphics show what the animal looks like in a natural habitat, with a short rhyming text that shares more about the animal and why it's unusual. This is not always particularly informative or explanatory, leaving readers to wonder why the animal is included. With black backgrounds, the artwork is attractive, but the animals are drawn more adorable than they are in real life, giving the volume a fictional feel. VERDICT A fun title to read, this book works mostly to expose younger readers to animals they may not have encountered before.Debbie Tanner